Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha enhances the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1alpha-mediated activation of transcription

Nucleic Acids Res. 2004 May 11;32(8):2586-93. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkh581. Print 2004.

Abstract

Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1alpha (HNF1alpha) and Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) are two liver-enriched transcription factors coexpressed in specific tissues where they play a crucial role through their involvement in a complex cross-regulatory network. HNF1alpha down regulates HNF4alpha-mediated activation of transcription via a direct protein-protein interaction. Here we show that HNF4alpha enhances the transcriptional activity of HNF1alpha in a DNA binding independent manner, thus indicating that it behaves as a HNF1alpha coactivator. Using mutations in the ligand binding domain (LBD) of HNF4alpha, we confirmed the involvement of the Activation Function 2 module and demonstrated the requirement of the integrity of the LBD for the interaction with HNF1alpha. Moreover, we show that HNF4alpha cooperates with p300 to achieve the highest HNF1alpha-mediated transcription rates. Our findings highlight a new way by which HNF4alpha can regulate gene expression and extend our knowledge of the complexity of the transcriptional network involving HNF4alpha and HNF1alpha.

MeSH terms

  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4
  • Humans
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Phosphoproteins / chemistry
  • Phosphoproteins / metabolism
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / chemistry
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Transcriptional Activation*

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • HNF1A protein, human
  • HNF4A protein, human
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Phosphoproteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • Transcription Factors
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1